A Bloody Road, page 7
part #3 of Iron Teeth Series
“Now what? They’re circling around,” Varhs asked as he crouched.
“Now we wait for a reaction.”
“They are reacting! They’re running everywhere,” Varhs pointed out.
Saeter shook his head. “I’m not talking about the men.”
A sharp crashing noise filled the clearing. Something snapped, and there was a hollow thud. Khita flinched, and beside her, Blacknail jumped slightly. However, the hobgoblin grinned as screams of surprise and pain filled the air. It was music to his ears. Saeter’s plan had actually worked! They most likely weren’t all going to die! The enemies who had headed into the thickets to find cover were under attack by the bushes themselves. The tallest of the nearby trees had slashed at several bandits.
Familiar angry hissing reached Blacknail’s ears as the trees transformed into mimics. They looked angry too. The giant, spindly, insect-like creatures tore into the bandits with their many long claws.
Werrick’s men were too surprised to put up much of a fight. Even the bandits well away from the fighting had stopped moving and were gaping at their distressed allies. They didn’t seem to know what to do. A few of the enemy soldiers retaliated, but their blades either missed the mimics’ flailing limps entirely or bounced off their hard carapaces. One of the tree creatures grabbed a man and tossed him aside. Leaves cascaded down as the mimic moved to smash aside a new target.
“All right, now it’s time to run again,” Saeter informed his companions.
None of them argued. Almost instantly, they were all on their feet and headed away from the fight. The end of the clearing and the way back into the forest loomed ahead of them.
“What in all the hells are those?” Khita asked. “Did you bring those trees to life?”
The young woman kept as close as possible to Blacknail as she ran. Which annoyed the hobgoblin. Her eyes were wide with surprise and more than a little excitement.
“No, they’re just beasts, mimics,” Saeter replied as he ran.
“How did you know they were there?”
“Obviously I scouted this path out in advance,” the old scout told her.
“How did you know—”
“Stop asking me such stupid questions and run,” Saeter growled at her.
Behind them, the sounds of battle continued. Someone screamed, and there was a thrashing sound, like branches colliding. Blacknail risked a look over his shoulder. None of the enemies were giving chase, and no arrows were flying their way. The surviving thugs were backing away from the mimics, and the creatures were letting them. Unmolested, Saeter’s party reached the far edge of the clearing. A wall of bushes and younger trees blocked their way.
“Are you sure there are no mimics here?” Varhs asked Saeter.
“There weren’t yesterday,” the old scout grumbled before pushing his way through.
After a few tentative steps, everyone else followed him back into the woods. The barrier of thin branches and greenery gave way to reveal a dark expanse of tree trunks under a shadowy canopy.
“Are we safe now?” Khita asked when they were all out of sight of the battle behind them.
“No, they’re not bloody idiots, girl,” Saeter told her scornfully. “They will have sent men around to cut us off.”
“Oh.”
“But you have a plan, right?” Varhs asked. “Preferably something better than sitting in the middle of a bunch of mimics and hoping the enemy walks into them before we do!”
Saeter nodded. “Yes, we keep running.”
Blacknail hadn’t stopped. The hobgoblin ducked under a low branch as he jogged through the forest. He wasn’t stupid enough to think they were out of danger even for a second. The others were right behind him. It wasn’t like he was slowing his pace to keep an eye on them or anything. He just knew it would be dangerous to run ahead alone…
Rows of trees surrounded them on all sides. The ground was almost completely bare of anything but dark earth. Only a few short, leafy plants and small ferns grew around the base of the thick tree trunks, and the group was silent as they ran between the trees.
“Um, there’s a…” Khita mumbled.
“Save your breath,” Varhs huffed from beside her.
“But there’s a dead guy right over there!” Khita shot back angrily.
Varhs’s eyes widened as he turned in the direction Khita was pointing. Saeter’s and Blacknail’s gazes quickly followed. A body lay strewn over a tangle of roots at the base of a tree. The cause of death was obvious. An arrow jutted out from his back, and his brown scout’s cloak was red with blood. It was undoubtedly one of Herad’s men, although without getting a better smell, Blacknail wasn’t sure exactly which.
Saeter swore. “They’re ahead of us.”
Both scout’s cloaks swished as they turned to survey the surrounding woods. Blacknail’s gaze lingered on the corpse for a moment. Maybe he should go through his pockets, in case there were any clues there?
“Incoming! Get down!” Varhs yelled.
There was a shrill whipping sound. Instantly, Blacknail was lying face-first on the ground with his arms shielding his head. He didn’t have to be told twice. Stopping to think could get you killed!
Arrows hissed through the air where he had been standing a second ago. There was a dull crack as one embedded itself into a nearby tree trunk, and Blacknail flinched in pain as the sound stabbed into his ears. Ah, that was too close!
The hobgoblin didn’t take any chances. From on the ground, he lurched sideways and rolled toward the base of a tree where the roots would shield him. When he didn’t hear any more arrows, Blacknail peeked out from behind his hands. His companions were on the ground around him, and none of them seemed to have feathered shafts sprouting from uncomfortable places. That was good. Even better, Scamp was nowhere to be seen. The cowardly goblin had been running behind Varhs but had disappeared after Saeter had yelled. With luck, something had already eaten him. More likely though, he had run off somewhere.
The next thing Blacknail noticed was the squad of enemy archers stomping through the woods toward him. Several of them were already reaching for new arrows.
“We need to get to the road!” Saeter yelled as he jumped to his feet.
The old scout dashed forward and placed a wide tree trunk between himself and the archers. Blacknail scrambled up and ran after his master. Varhs and Khita sprinted for cover together, sort of. It looked as if both of them were trying to outrun the other so that they could use each other as human shields. Blacknail easily kept ahead of both of them. Losers!
Another arrow flew past and cut through the forest. It didn’t come close to hitting anyone, so everyone kept running. Then a ledge came into view up ahead. Past a few trees, the ground fell away. Down below, the road could be seen on the other side of some bushes.
“Damnation, I meant to go around this,” Saeter growled.
The fall couldn’t have been more than ten feet, but it would still be an uncomfortable jump. They didn’t have a lot of choices though. Blacknail put on a burst of speed and raced ahead. A second later, he jumped off the edge and plummeted. He felt his bones shake as he landed in a crouch. The hobgoblin ignored the feeling. He quickly stood and glanced backward at the ledge.
Khita and Varhs were right behind him. The pair jumped over the ledge, and they seemed to hang in the air for a moment before plummeting back to earth. Both of them landed feet-first and rolled straight past the hobgoblin. However, Saeter hesitated. Sensing a problem, Blacknail gritted his teeth and reached down inside himself to burn any Elixir left in his system. There wasn’t a lot, but it would have to do.
“Jump and I’ll catch you,” he told his master.
“What? You don’t need to do that,” Saeter grumbled.
Blacknail gave his master an annoyed glare, but before he could say anything, shouting broke out on top of the ledge. It sounded as though the enemy was very close. Saeter threw a look over his shoulder and jumped. The hobgoblin froze for a split second, then he spun to the side and reached out to scoop up his master’s legs. As Saeter’s weight descended, Blacknail cushioned it. Then he lost his balance. The impact knocked him backward, and Saeter landed on top of him.
“Ack, toad piss.” Blacknail coughed painfully as he lay flat on his back. His master had landed right on his chest, and the impact had squeezed his ribs and knocked the air out of him. Ouch. His lungs burned painfully when he tried to draw a breath.
Saeter got up, brushed himself off, and ran toward the road again. It was only a few dozen feet away. “Hurry up, Blacknail! Don’t just lay there like a log!”
The hobgoblin coughed again, pulled himself to his feet, and ran. As he picked up speed, he glared hostilely at his master’s back.
“Some thanks-ss would nice!” he hissed to himself.
When they got back to camp, Blacknail was going to make sure Saeter paid him back! If he didn’t, then the hobgoblin was sure Vorscha and Geralhd would find the story amusing. Yes, he was definitely going to get something tasty or shiny…
Khita and Varhs were already pushing through the bushes. Saeter was right behind them. Blacknail brought his hand up to shield his face as he stepped through the brush and out of the forest again.
“Your plan sucks,” Khita remarked as she looked around the empty road.
“What now?” Varhs asked. “Do we make a break for the other side?”
Saeter scowled as he studied the surroundings. The wide dirt road was empty. It cut through the forest, but there was nothing to see in either direction. The bushes down the road shook as several enemies stepped out. They raised their weapons.
“Shit, we’re right back where we started,” Varhs said.
Chapter 8
More enemies stepped out of the bushes, until Blacknail counted ten of them. The hostile bandits marched onto the road and eyed Saeter’s group. All of them were armed with swords and looked dangerous, like hardened killers.
“Capture some of them alive!” their leader ordered the rest. “We need to interrogate them.”
Blacknail weighed the odds. He had some Elixir on him, but he wasn’t sure he could fight this many people and protect Saeter at the same time. The old scout looked worn out, and Khita wouldn’t be any help. She was useless. That left most of the work up to him and Varhs.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t sneak his master away from the others, so it wasn’t like he had a choice. The hobgoblin drew his blade and reached into his pocket for his vial of Elixir. Varhs and Khita both took out their own short swords.
“Are we fighting?” Khita asked Saeter.
The old scout didn’t reply. He was frowning and seemed to be staring straight at the enemy, but Blacknail could tell he was scanning their surroundings out of the corners of his eyes. He was looking for something.
“That one looks like a girl!” one of the larger enemies said as he grinned at Khita. “I’m taking her.”
“Just make sure they don’t get away,” the leader responded.
The big brute raised his sword and stepped forward—just as an arrow took him in the chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he collapsed limply. A hail of arrows quickly followed the first. They slammed into the enemy bandits until most of them had fallen.
“Fucking hells, an ambush!” the leader cursed as he backed up and raised his sword defensively.
A new group of humans rose from where they had been hiding in the ditch along the road, but these were Herad’s men. There was the sound of shaking leaves as more of them, including Red Dog, stepped out of the forest behind the ditch. The bandit lieutenant scanned the remaining enemies.
“Swordsmen forward, take them down!” Red Dog bellowed.
At his command, the men from the ditch drew their blades and jumped onto the road. They charged and engaged the now vastly outnumbered and injured enemies.
“Thank the gods!” Varhs exclaimed as several of Herad’s men ran past him.
Blacknail let his sword drop. It didn’t seem like his help would be necessary.
“We didn’t really need their help. I could have taken the big guy,” Khita remarked, “and Blacknail could have taken the rest.”
The hobgoblin gave her a skeptical look. How could she possibly believe that? Blacknail had seen Khita fight. She wasn’t that good at it! Also, why did he have to do most of the work?
There was the sound of blades clashing as Red Dog’s men fought. Only a few of Werrick’s men were left standing, and they were quickly surrounded. Seconds later, they were all cut down. No prisoners were taken.
“Is that all of them or are there more hiding in the trees?” Red Dog asked as he walked over to Saeter.
“That’s all the ones that were chasing us,” the old scout answered. “I was beginning to think you had gotten lost and missed the rendezvous point.”
“I had to wait until they were all out in the open,” Red Dog replied with an indifferent shrug. “It wouldn’t have been a very good ambush if I didn’t get them all.”
Varhs scowled. “But the ambush would have worked fine if we all died? What if they had used bows?”
“Did you get your job done?” Red Dog asked Saeter as he ignored Varhs.
“I certainly did my part, and Blacknail did his,” the old scout replied. “We took out quite a few sentries before being discovered and led several more right to you. I’m not sure about Varhs though. He let himself get distracted.”
“I can see that,” Red Dog said as he eyed Khita disdainfully.
Varhs coughed and looked away. There was an embarrassed flush to his cheeks.
“Hey, I did more than you!” Khita interjected as she glared at Red Dog. “I was out there fighting and risking my life. All you did was stand here and order other people to fight for you.”
“That’s the burden of command,” the bandit lieutenant replied.
“Burden my ass. You’re just lazy,” Khita told him.
Saeter swatted the side of her head. “Don’t argue with the commander in the field. There will be plenty of time later to tell Vorscha all about how he put you in danger.”
Red Dog frowned at the old scout’s words. He looked nervous for a second, then he just scowled in annoyance. It was quick, but Saeter grinned for a second.
“Since you feel so hard done by, let me escort you the rest of the way,” Red Dog said as he motioned toward one of his men. “You there, make sure the small redhead stays safe. She might trip in a pothole and hurt herself. Also, you should watch out for squirrels.”
The man in question froze and stared in confusion as Red Dog and Khita glared at each other. He didn’t know how seriously he should take the order. Either option could backfire on him.
“So we’re moving on then?” Saeter asked to break the tension.
“Since you seem to have drawn the enemy sentries out of position so well, we should go join up with Herad. The main attack has probably already begun,” Red Dog replied.
“What about the rest of the scouts sent out with us?”
“Most of them have already returned. I’ll leave a few men here in case more show up, but I’m not going to risk sending men into the forest after them,” Red Dog explained.
As soon as he was done talking, Red Dog led the group down the road toward the enemy’s camp. A wedge of sword-wielding bandits went first. Behind them came the archers, and in the middle were Blacknail and his companions. They arrived at their destination within a few minutes. The once-hidden path that led from the road to the enemy camp was now plainly obvious. Corpses littered the ground, and boot prints were everywhere. The bushes on either side of the trail had been hacked down to create a gaping hole that led into the dark forest.
“I’m not a scout, but I think we should go that way,” Khita announced as she pointed toward the mess.
That earned her more than a few glares. However, no one stepped toward the looming entrance. The group came to a stop and took a moment to study the scene. Blacknail heard the sounds of battle down the path, although the forest canopy muted the noise. He scanned the nearby bodies. Most seemed to be enemies, but he did recognize one of the fallen men. There was definitely a fight going on. He hoped his side was winning.
“I don’t suppose you’d mind taking a look around?” Red Dog asked Saeter and Varhs. “That brush would be an excellent spot for an ambush.”
Saeter shook his head. “I think we’ve done enough of that today, don’t you?”
Sighing, Red Dog motioned his men forward. The lead bandits carefully made their way down the path. When they weren’t ambushed, attacked by wild animals, or maimed by traps, everyone else was quick to follow.
“And we’re back into the woods,” Varhs commented as he stepped into the shadows. “I hope Scamp catches up with us soon.”
The path itself was narrow, but moving through the forest was easy. The ground was sparse and mostly bare from the lack of light. The only real obstacles were the trees, and they were easy enough to go around. Blacknail followed the members of his tribe up the shallow hill. Shouting and screams could be heard on the other side of it, so that was probably where Herad was. She enjoyed that sort of thing.
When they reached the top of the hill, Red Dog and Blacknail stopped and looked down. A lot had changed since the hobgoblin had seen the enemy’s camp. It was in shambles. The mass of blue tents were still there, but many of them had been flattened. Several were on fire.
Herad was leading a push through the center of the camp. Close to a hundred of her men fought beside her as she cut in deeper. The enemies’ resistance was scattered and failing. Her sword flashed through the air, and bandit after bandit fell before her.
“Damned fools, they’re getting crushed,” Red Dog remarked. “They let their sentries get pulled out of position, then their rear was assaulted.”
“This fight was already over once Herad got past the chokepoint behind us,” Saeter added. “They should have defended it better.”
